School vs. Club: Where Do Sports Belong?

The game is over coached, and under taught.  That was the message from Coni Yori, the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Nebraska in an article I read about the current state of young basketball players.  It accompanied an interview her colleague on the men’s side at the university, Tim Miles, who bemoans the fact that so much time is spent playing games in the summer on AAU teams with little if any attention paid to the developing the fundamental skills of the game.  Along with Rick Pitino, coach of this year’s NCAA champion Louisville Cardinals, who says the game suffers because of the lack of fundamentals, Miles also points to a decrease in scoring in the college game because players simply don’t have the skills to score.

Coach Yori, who may be familiar with some of you “hard core” Iowa girl’s basketball fans because of her amazing career as a player at Ankeny High School a number of years ago, comments about a conversation she had with a young camper who shared that she had played 100 basketball games that summer and according to Yori, didn’t think she really needed to work on her individual skills.  She described her as “a kid playing all of these games and basically thinking she has it all figured out.”  Yori scored 3,068 points in her star-studded career in high school, and only played 25 games in a calendar year, all of them with her high school team because there were no club or travel teams.

We live in a sports obsessed society right now, and it only seems to becoming more so when one hears about the billions of dollars that are being poured into various events.  At one point I thought that perhaps it would come around and common sense would come into play, particularly in college athletics, but that does not seem to be the case.  There is simply too much money.  There are a number of things I do not like about high school athletics, but overall, I still believe that it is the best place for young people to get the experience of playing these games.  Even though there have been changes over the years, there are still strong structures in place and high standards in regard to coaching qualifications and expectations.

As a family we have also been involved in the club, travel, or select world of sports.  I do see a lot of positives out there for this kind of experience.  In fact, I believe that there are some aspects that far exceed scholastic sports.  However, I also see first-hand what Miles and Yori are saying.  Now I will say that there are some fundamental differences between the sports, as the two that my kids have played – softball and soccer – tend to be those “suburban” sports where private instruction accompanies membership on a team.  That is different from a lot of the AAU and club basketball programs out there that exploit poor kids from inner cities, usually for the personal gain of the coaches.   However, there is a common theme with these programs and that is the fact that nearly all of the players are playing for themselves, not team, or like scholastic sports, the school.  Their motivations are different.  They want the scholarship and to do that, they have to stand out as an individual.  And to do that, they often ignore some of the fundamentals of the game.

What we have today is a choice.  With the exception of football, a club alternative exists for every sport we offer in high school.  There are already kids in Iowa that choose to play club for a number of reasons, and opt to not play for their high school team.  We see it in soccer and softball right now.  But I think there is something to read between the lines with both Coach Yori and Coach Miles, and that is the fact that they would rather work with the high school coaches and believe that at that level, education does take place.  Not only teaching on the basketball court, but also in the classroom.  Sports in our schools are an extension of the classroom, and it is for that reason that we really need to keep them in proper perspective.

Small Town Success Story

A while back I had a conversation with Coach Guyer, who stopped in to let me know that North Fayette alum and Warburg All-American, John Helgerson had qualified to participate in the Olympic wresting trials in Iowa City.  I have only been introduced to Helgerson and shook his hand, but I have heard a number of people talk very highly of him since I arrived nearly four years ago.  Without knowing a lot about the history of our area, I wonder how many people from our community have had opportunity to reach the pinnacle of their chosen field?  Helgerson did not make the Olympic team, but he was in that final one or two percent that had a chance.  If you ask me, that is a pretty exclusive club and when you think about it, according to the last census, there are 313,914,040 people in the United States, so the fact that he was one of eight that even had a chance to make the team, that certainly puts him at the very top of peak!

I mention this because there seems to be an inferiority complex among many folks who grow up in a small town.  You often hear someone in less than a proud manner say in a conversation, “I grew up in a small town.”  One doesn’t need to have an advanced degree in mathematics to figure out that where there are larger concentrations of people, there is a greater likelihood that more people will excel.  It’s in the numbers.  I read a story recently about the number of outstanding professional basketball players who grew up in Brooklyn, New York.   Brooklyn is one of the boroughs of New York City and holds a little over 30% of the cities population.  In the 2010 census there were just fewer than 2.6 million Brooklynites.  Iowa has a population of a bit over 3 million.  Now I am not as much of an aficionado of basketball as I am other sports, but I wonder over time how our state compares to Brooklyn in terms of players who have done well in the NBA.  Fred Hoiberg, Raef Lafrentz, Kirk Heinrich, Nick Collison are four names that come to mind and it appears as if Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott have careers at that level in front of them.  So maybe being from a small town doesn’t make it a long shot.

To go further with this, many of us are aware of the fact that at one time in the past ten years or so, four men who graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg were playing at the same time in the NFL.  In fact, per capita, A-P was producing more professional football players than any other high school in the country.  Take that Texas high school football!  That goes to show that the small town kid can make it to the top level of a given field!

So why do I bring this up?  One of the things that I have stated a time or two in the past year as we have moved forward into the whole grade sharing agreement is that where a person lives should not impact the opportunities they have in life.  In some respects being in the right place at the right time is a definite advantage.  Not too many Iowans are going to become professional surfers.  But, over the long haul, growing up in a small town should not impede goals and aspirations.  The key in the education area is that you have to have resources and opportunity, and that is why I was 100% on board with sharing from the first day it was mentioned.  An example that I shared with some folks is with a question: why should students at West Des Moines Valley have a choice of English classes when they are juniors and seniors and our students don’t?  There is a critical mass that provides opportunity, and with what we are planning to have in place next year, we are taking advantage of that.  I want to make sure that our students have what they need to move toward that dream or goal.

John Helgerson didn’t attend a big school.  He graduated from North Fayette with a class just a little bigger than the ones that are going through our high school right now.  He had the opportunity to wrestle in high school and he parlayed that into a chance to wrestle in college.  Through hard work and perseverance, he qualified for the Olympic Trials.  If anyone ever told him that he couldn’t get there because he was from a small town, he ignored them.  I would like to think that we have students in our school now that have aspirations and dreams, and with John Helgerson as an example, hopefully it doesn’t matter that they are from a small town.

When Should School Start?

At a meeting I attended in West Des Moines last week, an education lobbyist spoke to our group about what is going on right now on Capital Hill relative to education.  We are past the funnel and a number of education bills are going forward and are currently being worked on in committee.  One that educators are watching closely is whether Iowa districts will get 4% allowable growth funding next year, which would be great for all of the districts and students in the state.  However, while this is important, as is the pending legislation on teacher evaluation and compensation, I have a feeling that another topic that we are being told is going to come up for a vote this year is going to generate its fair share of water cooler talk.  What is that, you ask?  School start date.

From what I am told, politicians are tired of this being brought up every year and to get past it, they are going to bring it up for a vote.  Here is the debate.  According to Iowa Code, school in Iowa cannot start until the week of the first of September.  However, schools can apply for a waiver and start earlier.  I don’t know the exact number, but nearly all districts submit that waiver and start much closer to the middle of August rather than the first of September.  Like many of you, it seems to me that school starts earlier each year, but looking at past calendars, the actual start date has been relatively constant.  The comment I hear most often justifying the mid-August start is “I don’t want to be going to school in June!”  I get it, but I am one of those in what seems like a minority because I argue that in buildings that are not air conditioned, it is a heck of a lot hotter in August than it is in June!  I don’t have a problem waiting a little while to start school.  So the reason that the legislature is said to be having this discussion is because Todd Wolverton would rather wait until September to start school, right?  No!  There are far more powerful forces out there pushing this agenda.

We do have people in our area that attend the State Fair in August, some who would just as soon we start school a little later in the month so that they can exhibit their livestock, or spend vacation with family at the camp grounds.  But even they don’t have the power to push this agenda with the legislators.  The influence is coming from the State Fair and the tourism lobby, and right now it looks as if they have the ear of our elected officials in Des Moines.  I am not sure that waiting to start school is going to increase attendance at the fair, but I guess that it could.  However, high school students are a source of cheap labor that vendors and others who need workers want to employ during the run of the fair.  I am not sure that cheap labor is a worthy trade-off for school, but that is the loudest voice as other employers like Adventureland and the resort areas throughout the state want to keep these kids on the payroll through Labor Day if they can. 

If you have a strong opinion about the school start date, you need to contact your elected officials.  If you believe that local school districts are in the best position to make the decision as to when school should start, then express that with your legislator.  Personally, I don’t have a horse in the race right now.  I just hope that whatever happens it does not inhibit districts from having a longer school year.  I do have an opinion on that!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

I like to see people happy.  I get choked up when little kids run into the arms of returning parents.  I get teary-eyed when I get to see people experience unrestrained joy.  I can think of a number of times that has happened, many of them sports related because I am tuned into that, but I can recall others as well.  Have you ever seen that look on the face of the groom when he catches that first look of his bride-to-be at the end of the aisle?  Yeah, I watch the groom while most are watching the bride!  Heck, she takes a long walk and you can see her for a while.  Take that moment to watch the groom and you will see what I mean!   I’ve had opportunity to be there when a student gets word that he has been awarded a major scholarship.  That smile is priceless.  Back to the romantic, how about when that courageous guy pops the question in front of thousands of his “best friends” and on the Jumbotron?  Or when that accountant finds out that she passed the state boards?

A while back I watched the video of Norfolk State students in their student center watching the final few seconds of their basketball teams monumental upset of Missouri (I can’t believe I would pick a team that I loathe as much as Mizzou to win it all on my bracket!) in the NCAA tournament and explode into a crazy sea of wild celebration.  I don’t know anyone at Norfolk State, let alone in the video, and I could not help but beam at the chance they had to be so happy.  Those kinds of moments need to be shared, and more important, in all of our lives we should be so lucky to get to experience the amazing adrenaline that flows through our body at that moment.  I’ve gotten to do that a couple of times at some sports events when the “amazing” happens.  I remember standing on the sideline as the seconds ticked off under the lights at one of the first night games Nebraska played when Tom Osborne had a team that finally defeated Barry Switzer and OU.  My split loyalties between my two college alma maters came into play as Iowa State fans went absolutely delirious with joy in 1992 following quarterback Marv Seiler’s amazing run that lead to the defeat of Top-5 ranked Nebraska.  Iowa State fans were crying with joy, and my new wife was jumping up and down so wildly that I thought for sure she was going to fall over the rail of the second deck!  I remember Chay Wood, a young man I coached a few years back, rise up after pinning his opponent in the state finals and look to his mom in the crowd with his wry smile.  I know what I was feeling standing in his corner, but I cannot fathom the joy he was experiencing at that moment.

Pure, unadulterated joy!  It is such an incredible feeling that it makes me wonder why we would want to make anyone feel anything else.  The cool thing is that when you witness it, you can’t help but feel some of it too!  Watching those kids go crazy when their team wins gives me a smile and a warm feeling.  So why don’t we seek ways to make people feel happy?  It feels good to see that smile; that sparkle when their eyes light up.  Is it that difficult to find nice things to do, or kind things to say?  I confess that often when I am out and about I am “on a mission” and am oblivious to those I meet.  It isn’t that tough when I slow down, make eye contact, and say something nice.  It doesn’t always have to be much. Sometimes less is more.  But I think we live in a world of cynicism and many of us for whatever reason indict those who are really happy.  Is it because we are jealous or envious?  Are we so competitive that it always comes down to winners and losers?  In a warped way, are some of us happy being miserable?  I suppose it could be a number of things.  Regardless, look for those opportunities to smile and laugh, and more important, take a pause the next time you see someone that is really, really happy . . . and try to absorb some of it.  I guarantee you will be happy too!

Whole Grade Sharing – Part II

We are North Fayette Valley!  Now what?  Since the two school boards signed the agreement, we have been off and running.  In the seven days since that January 21, we have held four half-day meetings with teachers in the core content areas working on course content and alignment for middle and high school.  We have had a meeting pulling together administrators and AEA personnel to assess special education needs for both districts.  We attempted to have a meeting with business teachers, but due to weather conditions, that was postponed, as was an ad hoc meeting for the extracurricular folks.  Oh yeah, the morning after the agreement we spent a couple of hours with 54 students working to resolve the school colors!  In addition to all of that, I have had numerous meetings face-to-face with Mr. Willhite, Mr. Imoehl. Mr. Clark, and Mr. Nuss about matters relative to the sharing program.  I have spent countless hours working in collaboration with Mr. Clark in preparation for course selection and registration, as well as time on the phone and via email with staff at Valley arranging for meetings with students and putting a transition plan in place.  We have created a calendar for all of the meetings and activities that we anticipate needing over the course of the next four months to transition students, orient parents, and to make certain we get every thing done.  We have come up with question after question, and I anticipate there will be more!  And, I have attempted to do all of the other parts of my job!

So, where are we?  Headed in the right direction!  We knew it was going to be busy, but thankfully we started on this effort way back at the start of the school year.  I am tremendously excited about the new opportunities that are going to be created for our students.  A new structure to our Language Arts and Social Studies programs will be implemented that I think is great!  We will roll out more details on that in the near future.  I also recognize that there are going to be bumps in the road, and there will be some things that happen that will be upsetting to some.  Change always brings with it some pros and some cons.  Productive and positive change sometimes takes a little while to bear fruit.  With that said, the students at North Fayette Valley are going to find themselves in a much more comprehensive academic environment, starting next year.  And, it will continue to grow.  School reform has been discussed at great length for the better part of my 16 years as a principal.  Now, with the Iowa Core, our focus on technology, and the attention we are giving to this opportunity, I can start to see some of this shift.  It will be great for kids!  Did I say I was excited?  I’m excited!

It Is Time To Do Something

With the new Congress in place and having averted the fiscal cliff, it appears that a number of gun control bills are going to be presented.  In the past 24-hours I have read three different articles relative to this topic, and all referencing the massacre at Newtown.  Matt Carver, SAI Legal Services Director, wrote at length in our organizations monthly newsletter.  I read a column in Sports Illustrated.  And, this morning on abcnews.com, I read about Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly’s interview with Diane Sawyer.  I know that as a public employee I am a servant of the taxpayers, and when I say something, it is scrutinized by “all of my bosses.”  I also know that when I say something it carries some weight because of the position that I am in.

Immediately after the shooting at Newtown, a number of prominent individuals spoke out right away about the issue of guns in our society.  I am glad that people finally have.  While they were doing this, I wrestled with whether or not I should.  I can certainly handle the criticism as I recognize that on many fronts, people are going to disagree with what I say.  I have had that many times in the past.  There will be those who would say that in my position I shouldn’t be taking a position!  However, at the same time others will expect me to take a one.  The public certainly would expect me to take a position on drugs in school, or on the topic of harassment or bullying.  So why is a position on guns any different?  I don’t think it is.

We have laws that prohibit guns on school campuses unless they are in the possession of a law enforcement officer.  With recent changes that have been made with concealed weapons in Iowa, the law still prohibits them on school campuses.  I am a strong advocate of this law.  We do not need guns on school property, and arming volunteers as the NRA executive vice president suggests terrifies me.  Arming teachers, as a congressman in Texas advocates, could create chaos.  In both instances I see disaster.  I don’t need someone like George Zimmerman, the rent-a-cop from Florida, volunteering to be on our school grounds to protect us.  I had a teacher remark the other day, “Heck, I forget where I leave my coffee cup some days.  What if I forget where I set my gun?”  More guns at school will result in more shootings.  There have been armed security personnel at some of the schools where shootings have taken place and they did not prevent the shootings.  At Columbine there were armed security personnel and they were not able to stop the two young men that put school shootings on the front page.

We have the Second Amendment in our country and while I am not a hunter or a gun owner, I respect the rights of people to own guns.  However, that amendment was written when people carried muskets, not when people have had access to AK-47s and high-compression clips.  People do not need to have those kinds of weapons in their possession and we need to do a very thorough job getting them off the streets.  In addition, we need to put forth a very strong effort to put in place universal background checks.  And, of equal important, resources need to be poured into mental health care.  It is an embarrassment that our nation does not address this.  The time is now to address all of these problems.  I for one believe that we can live in a better place and will work hard to bring that about.